You’ve probably seen the symbols all over your social media feed, yoga activewear and mats, or yoga studios around the world. What do they actually mean and represent? We’re here to help you find out. 

Very simply put, sacred geometry is the study of recurring patterns that occur throughout the universe. It’s found everywhere, from astronomy, weather patterns and sand dunes, to seashells, plants, and even human DNA. In its uniqueness, it’s been studied for thousands of years by a variety of different people who either noticed and discovered the recurring patterns, or found out about them and wanted to learn and find out more. There’s something fascinating in its alignment and repetition that triggered so many different cultures all around the world to dive deeper into its meaning and find ways to represent it in their communities.

The Golden Ratio

Sacred geometry is focused on the golden ratio principle, also known as the “divine proportion,” and it’s believed to bring the ultimate balance to anything you apply it to. It’s been widely known and used in religious architecture, art, and music.  

In mathematics, the golden ratio is represented as φ (phi), and its number sequence has been studied and developed by Indian mathematicians for thousands of years, possibly even dating back to 200 BC, making the significance of this incredible recurring occurrence that much more powerful.

Sacred Geometry and Yoga

Yoga is all about balance, finding that perfect equilibrium in all of our systems. A balance between our heart and our head, strength and flexibility, tension and release, inhale and exhale, movement and stillness, our right and left sides of our brain, our creative and our cognitive side.  

Sacred geometry is found in yoga poses in order to preserve balance and stillness, and get aligned with the cosmic geometry - creating those same recurring patterns with our bodies. 

Mandalas

Music is created by mixing frequency and sound in specific ways. When those frequencies get combined in unison with the universal laws, a state of harmony is achieved. That’s why Pythagoras actually described geometry as visual music, or visual harmony, that’s created through combining shapes, lines, angles, and forms. 

The word mandala itself comes from Sanskrit and means “sacred circle,” and their plural symbolizes the womb of creation and reveals the inner workings of nature and the universal order and balance of the universe. They are thought to be the “interdimensional gateways linking human consciousness to the realms of archetypes and the infinite.” 

There are many different mandala types, with teaching, healing, and sand mandalas being the most common ones you’ll encounter: 

• Teaching Mandalas - where each shape, line, and color represents different aspects of Buddhism.
• Healing Mandalas - made for the purpose of meditation and delivering certain wisdom, focus, and concentration. 
• Sand Mandalas - made with multi-colored sand and placed in concentric circles from outward towards the center representing creation and destruction at the same time. 

Nowadays, people are known to draw mandalas, colour them, print them, and place them in specific parts of their home or wear them on their clothing to bring their attention to balance, stillness, and connect them to the universal equilibrium and harmony. Sometimes, even doing something simple as wearing a pair of yoga leggings with mandalas all over them or taking a moment of self-care and filling out your mandala coloring book can create a sense of peace and stillness, without even trying. 

Finding balance in our crazy busy lives is crucial if we’re to improve our overall health and longevity, as sometimes doing too much of a good thing can also be harmful. It’s important to take all of your current habits and rituals into account and find the sweet spot within them, where you can experience a moment of stillness even in the midst of the craziest traffic as well as get ecstatic when you receive a piece of really good news.  

Mandalas can help you get there and there are plenty of books and online resources for you to browse through and learn all about these wonderful and perfectly aligned geometrical shapes that can influence your entire life. Knowledge is power and properly applying it to your life is the key to longevity and peace.  

You might also find some alignment with these wonderful sacred geometry symbols when you wear them on your leggings and step on your mat for a cleansing and invigorating yoga class. Feel yourself get grounded and connected to the Universe as you flow through your yoga poses!